Silence Isn't Golden
by QueenCheetah
Summary: AU- A family tragedy forces two brothers to move into a rented house. The eldest doesn't mind, but the younger brother senses something eerie in their 'new' old home. Unnerved, he soon finds that the previous tenant may never really have left... BxR Tendershipping
1. Chapter 1

***TWHUMP!***

"- _And_ that should be the last one!" Akefia Bakura clapped his hands together, as if to remove the dirt from the moving containers.

"Home, sour home." His younger, half-brother snorted as he kicked a smaller box aside.

"Hey, you wanna kick something, kick a box filled with _your_ crap." The elder sibling warned. He knew the younger Bakura wasn't thrilled with the move, but his patience was wearing thin.

The pale-skinned teen only grumbled in response.

Akefia felt conflicted- his desire to comfort his obviously displaced sibling was tempered by his annoyance with Bakura's attitude.

The harried adult ran a dark hand through his white hair. It had been a rough year for both of them- several months ago, the two siblings had lost their father (and Bakura's mother) in a car accident.

Although both boys had been upset, Akefia was most distraught by his only close family's reaction. His half-brother had never been the 'ideal' student; but ever since the tragedy, it seemed like all he did was skip classes and pick fights. He'd even taken up shoplifting, and a local judge had promised that any further incidents would be met with actual prison time. Eventually, Akefia put his college plans on hold for a while, and moved back in with his sibling.

Things had steadily improved, with Bakura gradually talking more and fighting less. But then Akefia announced that they needed a 'fresh start' somewhere else. Truthfully, he'd run into a bit of a bind when it came to his younger brother's high school enrollment. Bakura had been _banned_ from every school in their current district. Not to mention, their old home was much too large for two boys on a fixed income.

So, the pair reluctantly grabbed their belongings and moved to the nearby city of Kiyoshi. Akefia had found a nice, ranch-style dwelling for lease. The furnished house was situated in a sleepy suburb not far from the local beach.

"Here, this is yours-" Akefia easily lifted a large backpack and tossed it to his sibling, "-take it upstairs and check out your room. It's the first door on the left."

The skinnier boy caught the bag, and muttered something that sounded like, 'fine.'

The twenty-two year old held back a sigh as his half-brother turned to march up the stairs. The moody teen was hard to read, but after several months it seemed like Bakura was finally returning to his usual, 'unusual' self.

Seventeen-year old Ginjiro Bakura preferred to be called by his surname only- he thought it sounded more impressive. He typically enjoyed pulling pranks, watching horror films, and playing gory video games. His dislikes included people in general, and anything he deemed 'educational' or 'healthy.'

'First door on the left...' The frustrated teen stared at the wooden door. The modest house wasn't that bad- so far everything was pretty new and clean. But it was still a step down from their old home.

The door quietly swung open, revealing a somewhat dusty bedroom. There was a twin-sized bed, a small nightstand, several bookcases (Bakura snorted at the books lining the shelves- who would ever want to read that much?!), and a computer desk facing the windowsill.

Overall, it wasn't terrible, although the teen did scowl at the thick layer of dust covering the furniture. The realtor had mentioned something about a 'family tragedy,' which led to the need to rent the home without outright selling. He didn't bother listening to the dreary details- all he knew was that this dingy little dwelling was theirs for the next two years.

'Eh?' Bakura paused. He thought he saw something glinting from down in the musty darkness. The new tenant frowned as he studied the shadows underneath the bed-springs.

"The hell..." Something circular was lying under the bed- the intrigued teen reached underneath the furniture and felt his fingers close around something cool and smooth.

He pulled the object out, hacking as a flurry of dust-bunnies escaped. The object was also covered in a thin layer of dust. It appeared to be a circle with several fake icicle-like pendants. The teen nearly scoffed aloud when he saw the bright gold paint under the dust. Who the hell would put such a flashy ornament on their Christmas tree?

He was about to throw the thing across the room, when he noticed the rope- it was a rough, crude twine ending in a tight knot.

'You're kidding me- someone actually _wore_ this garbage?!' The deviant nearly snorted as he looked over the dirty necklace. There was something odd about the primitive jewelry, though- for one thing, when he first picked up the ugly pendant it had felt cold, like metal. But now he could feel a warmth radiating from the item- even from the dusty areas he hadn't touched yet.

'Weird...'

He slowly lifted the odd trinket, not expecting the weight that seemed to come from the golden object. Bakura was just about to let the cord slip down onto his neck when he was interrupted by a fast knocking on his door.

"Hey, I know you don't wanna unpack, but your boxers really don't add to the décor down here- get a move on already!"

Just before sliding the object back under the bed, the teen marveled at the unusual pattern that adorned the main pendant. It looked like an eye of some sort.

'Really weird...'

For some reason, Bakura couldn't get that unusual item out of his head. The whole rest of the evening he was distracted, grabbing the wrong boxes and even dropping a rather large box on Akefia's foot.

The elder brother let out a string of impressive curses, and after a (somewhat) heartfelt apology, Akefia decided that they were both tired. So the two boys ordered a pizza and threw the rest of the boxes in their appropriate rooms.

"I already made up the beds- we'll deal with the rest tomorrow. I called the phone guys, and they said our Wi-Fi should be set up by mid-afternoon at the latest."

Bakura grunted in reply and turned to head up the stairs. "G'night."

Akefia let out a muted sigh as the vexed boy headed to his room. "G'night, brother."

Several minutes later, Ginjiro Bakura slid under the dark blue bed-covers and grabbed his laptop. It took a moment for the teen to remember that they still didn't have WIFI yet. With no internet on his laptop, there wasn't much to distract the teenaged deviant. Grumbling, he fumbled around with his old saved files before finally shutting down for the night.

Not quite ready to 'turn in,' the frustrated adolescent searched the room. But even in the fading moonlight he could tell that nothing had changed since he first stepped inside. The desk, the books, the lamps... everything was how it first appeared- dusty and drab.

But something... something was off.

He couldn't explain it, but for some reason that 'something' was bothering him. And he had a nagging feeling that he knew just what 'it' really was.

With any annoyed huff, the teen climbed out of bed and reached under the frame. He pulled up the gaudy pendant and sat on his bed, staring at the unusual object.

'Hnn... still don't know why that stupid thing is bugging me so much... huh, it's bloody heavy.'

Bakura felt himself inadvertently slipping the roughly hewn cord over his head. The worn fibers tickled his skin as they drifted down his neck. 'Hmm, maybe it's real gold? That _would_ explain why I found it so-'

 _'Hello?'_

"GAH!" The teen gasped and quickly ripped the ring away from his neck. "What the f***?!"

But there was no response. The room was just as still and silent as the moment he'd first seen it. The panicked youth eyed the strange pendant. It sat, gleaming innocently on the unwashed floor.

Bakura stared intently at the pendant. But nothing happened. He stiffly reached down and picked up the corded object.

He hesitantly slid the old rope around his neck once more- and nearly jumped a second time as the sounds returned.

 _''I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you! I just wanted to ask some questions.'_

A polite voice was ringing through Bakura's mind- but it wasn't coming through his ears. Instead, it felt more like it was coming from within his own body- almost like the internal rumblings of a hungry stomach.

Bakura closed his eyes and shook his head in confusion. "What- the- how the hell am I hearing you in my head?!"

There was a brief pause before the well-mannered voice spoke again. _'Um, I'm_ _afraid I'm_ _not really sure... I don't know what's going on- I couldn't see anything, and then suddenly, I could- and now I can't again.'_

The younger sibling was starting to suspect a prank. "What the hell do you mean, 'you could see and now you can't?'" His eyes were still scrunched up in frustration. On a whim, Bakura opened his eyes, and the voice in his head gasped.

 _'Oh! And now I can again! Apparently I'm looking through your eyes- how odd. Are you a ghost?'_

The teen was feeling completely baffled by this insanity. "I was about to ask _you_ that question! NO, I'm not a bloody _ghost_! I'm **alive**!"

 _'Oh. I thought I was, too... how strange. Maybe I'm hallucinating? I know some hospital painkillers can give patients unusual delusions...'_

"You're not in a freakin' hospital; you're in a freakin' necklace!"

 _'A... a necklace? What- how could that even be possible? I was in a car crash...'_

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" The wearer hissed warningly at the pendant.

 _'A joke? No, I don't imagine this is... I mean, one of us would be in on it then, right? And goodness knows I'm not, and you sound pretty clueless yourself...'_

Bakura let out a soft growl. "Is that an insult or a statement?"

 _'It wasn't meant to be offensive, though I can understand your interpretation.'_

The necklace bearer snorted. "Why do you talk so funny? You sound like a damn Literature teacher or something."

There was an echo of faint laughter- it was actually a rather pleasant sound. _'I was born abroad- in England, actually. My parents moved to Japan a few years after_ _wards_ _, but I learned to speak English first. Apparently I've_ _adopted_ _the 'proper_ _dialect_ _' of both languages.'_

The ring felt warm again- Bakura was beginning to suspect that he could sense the other being's emotions through the strange conduit. Sadness felt cold and heavy; happiness meant warmth and airiness.

 _'So, why did you move into my home?'_

"Wait, you're the previous owner?!"

 _'I-I think so?'_ The voice sounded hesitant again. The ring grew slightly colder. _'Truth be told, I'm not quite sure; I mean, I don't really remember anything factual... but it all seems_ _very_ _familiar. If it wasn't my home then I must have spent quite some time here... for some reason.'_

"Right..." Bakura frowned; just what the hell had been in that pizza? "Well, my half-brother and I just moved in. I found this ugly thing under the bed-frame."

 _'Eh? A 'thing'?'_ The voice gave an audible gasp when Bakura's eyes drifted over the gaudy necklace. _'Oh! That's mine! I remember now- my father gave it to me!'_

"You mean you _wore_ this thing?" Bakura's question was dripping with sharp sarcasm, but the internal voice wasn't discouraged.

 _'Yes, it was a gift. I was proud to wear it.' _

Bakura was surprised by the sudden stubborn streak from the otherwise mild-mannered entity. He felt his face twist in a slight smirk.

"You must've been a major dork."

 _'Hey!_ _I was not- er, I mean, I don't_ _think __I was_ _-_ _oh,_ _nevermind._ _'_ The voice fell silent for a few moments. Bakura took advantage of the lull to ask his own questions.

"So how the hell did your head end up inside a necklace? I mean, if you aren't dead, then why are you in here?" The physical teen tapped the surface of the gilded amulet.

 _'I... I have no clue.'_ The necklace started to feel heavy again, and a faint chill emanated from the glistening metal. ' _I remember being hit by a car... it was all so loud- I remember the screech of the brakes, the sound of the metal bending and glass breaking... someone was yelling for help, and I could hear screaming... but, I don't think I_ _died_ _.'_

"But you don't know." Bakura bluntly pointed out.

 _'No... I suppose not.'_ The voice seemed to grow softer, and the ring remained cooler than usual. ' _I mean, do dead people know they're... gone? I_ _always_ _thought I'd know... somehow...'_

Bakura was about to reply, but jumped when he was interrupted by a loud yell from somewhere down the hall.

" **Hey!** You fall asleep with everything on?! It's already 1 A.M.! Turn your lights off, NOW!"

 _'Is- is that your brother?'_ The voice sounded slightly amused by the authoritative threat. _'He sounds pretty stern.'_

"Half-brother, actually." Bakura raised his voice to yell towards the door frame. "IN A MINUTE!" His voice lowered again as he added, "But we're close, so I guess 'brothers' is fine. And he's not usually a complete jack*ss- he just worries too much."

 _'About you?'_

"I guess."

Ryou could guess from the flat tone that Bakura didn't feel like elaborating. _'Ah. Well, you should probably head to bed anyway.'_

"And what about you?"

 _'I don't really seem to 'sleep'...in fact, I think I'm only 'conscious' when you're wearing the ring.'_ There was a weighty pause between the spirit's words. _'So if you take it off, I guess I'll 'go away.'_ _Erm,_ _so to speak.'_

The voice sound steady, but Bakura could feel the ring vibrate nervously at the mention of 'going away.'

"Right, well, I can't sleep with this heavy thing around my neck, so I'm taking it off."

His fingers had barely felt the rough rope when the voice spoke again. This time, it was strangely quiet and rather subdued.

 _'Bakura?'_

"Hn?"

 _'If... if it's not too much trouble, would you mind... maybe putting the ring on again, sometime? In the future? It's, um, really nice... to have someone to talk to.'_

Bakura snorted as he took his fingers off the cord.

"Tch. Don't be stupid." He felt another tremor of nervousness. "You obviously don't have a d*mn clue what happened to you. And I'm not such a heartless b*stard that I wouldn't at least give you a couple minutes to check up on the internet or something."

The ring seemed to physically glow with what Bakura assumed was joy. The voice was brimming with emotion, and the entire golden ring felt lighter than air.

 _'Oh, **thank you,** thank you so much- I don't know if I can ever repay you, but please accept my deepest gratitude!'_

"It's nothing." The teen struggled not to let his own face flush- he wasn't used to such extravagant praise. But apparently the nameless spirit was truly happy to have met him...

"Hey, one last thing- give me your name. I don't even know what to call you."

 _'I don't remember my full name, but I think I was called... Ryou?'_

"Your name was 'Ryou?'" The white-haired youth smirked. "Oh yeah, you were _**definitely**_ a nerd."

 _'Hey!'_

Bakura snickered as he finally made to lift the necklace back over his head. "G'night then, Ryou."

 _'G'night, Bakura!'_ The voice sounded quite cheerful, even as the teen removed the jewelry and placed it carefully on his wooden bedside table.

Akefia was only seconds away from screaming at his little brother- it was nearly 2 AM!- but then the lights suddenly turned off.

The deep-skinned man felt himself freeze- since when did Bakura actually turn the lights off before the fifth time he was yelled at?

Confused but pleased, Akefia calmly stepped back into his room. The two brothers slept soundly that night. Meanwhile, the golden jewelry lay upon the wooden nightstand, gleaming silently in the moonlight.


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: I think Marik might come off a bit too out-of-character- please note that almost everything his says is supposed to be in a sarcastic and/or mocking tone; not sure I made that clear enough... sorry!)

The first rays of the Kiyoshi morning sun began piercing through the dusty bedroom. The growing light made its way across the room, blinding a very irritated teen.

"Hnngh..." Ginjiro Bakura let out a rough grumble, and threw the twin comforter over his head.

There was a sound of footsteps, and an annoyingly familiar voice called out: "Hey, wake up already!"

"Grrrnn..."

Akefia Bakura couldn't hide the grin that stretched across his face. Aside from their contrasting skin tones, there were some very major differences between the two (half) siblings.

One of them being that Akefia was a morning person.

"Sorry, bro, but we've got a lot of work to get done- up and at 'em!" The elder brother grabbed the edges of the worn comforter, and promptly yanked it off the grump.

Bakura let out an even louder noise of displeasure, and instantly pulled his pillow down over his face.

...The younger Bakura, on the other hand, was not a morning person.

The amused adult could only smirk as his half-sibling tried to hide his face again.

"If you don't get up, I just might have to eat all the bacon~!" Akefia teased impishly.

Two reddish-brown eyes snapped open at that threat. "Don't you dare!"

The older sibling dropped the playful tone. "Let the pillow go and get your *ss up, then."

Grumbling, the younger of the duo got up and started his morning routine. His hazy thoughts slowly drifted back to the unusual 'jewelry' lying quietly on his nightstand.

'Was that a dream? No... it was too real to be a dream.'

Following a short breakfast, the distracted teen absconded back upstairs to his bedroom. No sooner had he put the rough cording around his neck, than he heard the same odd vocals as before.

 _'Hello? Bakura, is that you again?'_

"Yeah, it's me." The pale teen nearly sighed. There was no denying the inner relief that Bakura felt upon hearing the same voice from last night. It was nice to know that he wasn't going soft-headed. "I thought up an idea for finding out who you were- do you know what 'Googling' is?"

The other youth let out an optimistic gasp and explained that yes, he was quite familiar with the internet. This gave both of the boys a vital clue as to when Ryou had actually been 'alive' (so to speak). Equipped with this helpful information, Bakura quickly typed out their query and hit 'search.'

Unfortunately, this was the only helpful information they actually gleamed from the idea. 'Ryou' turned out to be a very common given name for Japanese boys. In fact, Bakura's first search pulled up thousands of results for 'Domino City Ryou.'

Even adding their street name didn't narrow the results down much; as evidently a prominent ex-councilman lived just down the block. Doubly unfortunately, the politician had been involved in a large scandal a few years back, so most of the results revolved around the sixty-year-old 'Ryou Hatori' and his 'mysterious mistress.'

Bakura thought about teasing the spirit, but paused when he sensed how heavy the ring felt. He recognized the despondence, and remained considerately silent as he scrolled past the countless links.

Indeed, the spirit-like entity sounded crushed as he reassured his physical 'roommate' that he couldn't possibly read through all of the (somewhat sordid) results. ' _Thank you anyway, though- it was kind of you to check._ _'_

The older teen snorted. "Pfth, it took three seconds- besides, we're not out of options yet. My friend's father is head of ' _T_ _he Domino Daily_ '."

 _'Wow, you mean the giant newspaper?!'_

"Yeah, and he owes me a favor- ten to one he can help us dig up some dirt on who the hell you really are."

The jewelry gave another quiver, and Bakura wondered if the invisible nerd was put off by the swearing. But apparently Ryou was just very grateful.

 _'That would be fantastic\- thank you!'_

"Tch." The normally abrasive teen felt his face flush again. The spirit always acted like everything he did for him was some great achievement.

Bakura unplugged his cell and quickly scrolled to the right number. He waited as the connection was made, and-

" _Hello, City Morgue!"_

Two crimson eyes rolled in irritation. "Marik, cut the crap; it's me."

" _ **BAKURA~!** " _The white-haired teen hissed as he yanked the phone away from his throbbing eardrum. He thought he heard a very faint giggle from the ring, but it was overpowered by the noises blasting from the phone. _"Hey man! Long time no pummel! What's up? How'd the move go? You finally get the guts to tell your br-"_

"Shut up! That's not important right now! Listen, something's come up, and I need your help!"

" _Ooo, I don't know- my schedule's pretty full right now- why don't you ask my cousin? I know how much you two love spending time together~"_

Bakura shuddered at the thought. "Marik, if you make me puke all over my new phone I swear I will rip out your spinal cord through your-"

" _Kidding! I'm kidding, geez! I'd tell you to lighten up, but you're already paler than salt- you know you're screwed if you ever get lost in a blizzard, right?"_

A smirk finally began making its way across the other teen's face. "Tch, and what if _you_ got trapped in a sinkhole? Not that anyone would bother getting their hands muddy searching for  you in the first place..."

To the average, demure citizens of Japan, these insults might seem a bit jarring. But from inside the ring, Ryou could overhear the pair. And he quickly recognized the casual, semi-caustic remarks as a form of playful banter between old friends.

It was rather amusing, really.

But the spirit felt his interests shift as he heard Bakura ask about Marik's father.

" _Eh? Oh yeah, he's out of town right now- some big deal in Hong Kong, I think. Might net some big distributor deal or some crap... why?"_

Bakura sighed before admitting the real reason behind the call. "I need help finding someone."

" _ **No duh**! You haven't been on a date in  how long?! I swear, Yami and I were starting to take bets on whether you were a zombie or just completely clueless!"_

This time Bakura was certain he heard a faint laugh from inside the necklace. He gritted his teeth and hissed into the phone. "NO, I mean I need to find out what happened to someone who used to live in this new house. I may have... found something of theirs."

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. _"...You turning over a new leaf or something? Since when do you willingly return something to its_ _actual_ _owner?"_ There was an overly-dramatic gasp from the other end. Ryou nearly burst out laughing when Marik began speaking in a stern stage whisper. _"Wait- who am I even talking to?! Oh gods, they did something to Bakura! You won't get away with this, you vile imposter!"_ Bakura's face fell flat as the louder teen paused for a brief moment. _"...Although, honestly; I can't_ _see_ _why anyone would even try to impersonate you- you're an arrogant, broke a-hole who doesn't even_ _know if he_ _'s_ _-"_

" **Look,** can you help us or not? Because honestly, I'm starting to miss the sound of everything that _isn't_ your voice."

" _Wait, **us?** " _Bakura quickly facepalmed as he realized his mistake. _"As in, you and someone else?!" _Marik's voice soon gained a mockingly-sweet tone. _"Aww, Bakura- you finally made a friend! That's so sweet! And you're helping them? Good for you! You get an extra gold star for today, mister!"_

Ignoring the giggling from the ring, Bakura snapped back at Marik. "Shut up! It's not like that!"

" _Suuuurrre... well, of course I'll help you **both** out- you want me to call when dad gets back in?"_

The pale teen snarled into the receiver. "And not a millisecond sooner."

" _Aw, miss you too, Baka-kura! Bye~!"_

Slightly red-faced, Bakura angrily stabbed at the 'end call' button before giving an exhausted sigh. "Right, so I think it's fair to say he won't be of much help." The fazed teen looked down at the old pendant hanging from his neck. "...sorry about that."

But Bakura was surprised by the faint laughter that seemed to echo from the ring. _'_ _No need- he's quite entertaining._ _In fact,_ _I don't think I've laughed like that in_ _long_ _a while._ _'_

The corporeal teen rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm glad you find him so amusing- he's usually just a crazy pain-in-the-*ss."

There was a pause from the ring before Ryou voiced a sensible question. _'If he really drives you up-the-wall, then why are you friends?'_

Bakura let out a small huff with his reply. "We both grew up in the same small town. When you grow up in the sticks like that, you end up making friends with anyone who doesn't bore you half to death."

 _'Ah, I see. I don't really remember where I grew up... but, I hope I had friends.'_

Bakura honestly had no idea how to respond to that statement, but thankfully he was saved the trouble. Both of the teens nearly jumped when a loud voice bellowed from somewhere on the first floor.

" **Oy, quit yakking on the phone and get downstairs! You've still got a ton of cr*p in these boxes!"**

The physical youth suppressed a groan and placed his hands on the rough cording. "I have to get going- I'm going to leave the pendant on the nightstand again. I'll put it back on later."

Ryou didn't seem nearly as put off this time- in fact, the voice sounded genuinely happy at the promise of being re-donned. _'Ok- thanks, Bakura!_ _Good luck with your sorting!_ _'_

"Tch." Bakura carefully removed the aging medallion and left it resting on top of the small, wooden table. He then headed down the narrow staircase to the living room, where Akefia was already unpacking boxes.

The older sibling saw that his brother's face was unusually flushed, but decided not to comment as they both got to work.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the day was spent on the tedious process of un-boxing and re-organizing all of the Bakura family's smaller possessions. It was a dull chore, and the younger brother felt his mind drifting yet again towards the mysterious being from the golden necklace. Several hours passed, in which the two siblings managed to polish off a large pizza and a liter of pop in between sorting, before Akefia declared that they were finished (for now).

Worn-out, Ginjiro Bakura slowly make his way up the steps to his new bedroom. He decided to hold off on wearing the ring until tomorrow. It would be rude, he reasoned; to wake Ryou up, only to then fall asleep himself.

The next morning came, and Bakura quickly finished his morning routine before re-donned the strange necklace. The wayward youth had been expecting to hear the cheerful voice of the young spirit. But for some reason, Ryou sounded hesitant, and a little somber. It didn't take long for the new tenant to realize that the other boy was trying to hide his despondence. Evidently Ryou was still somewhat crestfallen that their internet search hadn't produced any answers. Bakura was a bit unsure how to address the depressed spirit, when he remembered something from yesterday evening.

"Hey, Ryou- do you think a trip to the mall might jog your memory? I want to check out the local shops, and Akefia asked me to pick up a few things." He held up a short list of home supplies that had somehow been forgotten in the initial moving process.

It seemed like the gleaming pendant grew lighter at those words. _'That sounds like a good idea- I mean, I think I was around your age, so it'd be sensible that I spent time at some of the local hang-outs!'_

Bakura couldn't resist noting the geek's word choice. "Oh, I'm sure a 'cool kid' like you went to all the wild parties and 'hang-outs.'" The pale punk gave a short laugh. "You probably even smoked and did hard drugs!"

 _'I did not!'_ The voice answered indignantly. _'I never did anything like that!'_

"But how do you know?" Bakura was already wearing his characteristic smirk. "You just said you don't remember everything- what if you were actually a wild biker-type guy who just _happened_ to have an overly-formal vocabulary?"

Ryou finally caught on to the other teen's teasing, and his own words became playfully brash. _'Well then I suppose you'd be pretty screwed, wouldn't you? I mean, by that logic my body is probably a hulking, barbaric_ _behemoth_ _of steroid-infused fury- and you think you can just_ _come in my house and_ _take over my room? No_ _way_ _, bud!'_

The corporal teen snickered. "Sorry, but I doubt anyone who can use the words 'barbaric behemoth' in one sentence could take on a wounded housefly. You were a _major_ nerd, no question about it."

 _'Hey! You say that like it's a bad thing! You have a problem with nerds?'_ The non-vocal voice continued to spout out random nonsense in a cheeky tone. Bakura couldn't help but grin- he was glad that he'd managed to cheer up the invisible teen. _'Well, maybe I was a computer nerd! Yeah, and I'll hack your laptop so you can never use another browser except 'Internet Explorer!' ever again! What do you think about that?' _

Bakura only chuckled as he grabbed his bus pass and told Akefia where he was headed.

The ride to the mall wasn't long, but unfortunately no matter what scenery passed, the voice from the ring remained despairingly quiet. Apparently Ryou didn't recognize any of the buildings or streets they passed. Bakura didn't want to risk getting the other passengers suspicious, so he didn't speak either. But he could feel the heaviness of Ryou's soul through the gold pendant.

"Alright, here we are." Bakura chose his words carefully- the mall was crowded, and he really didn't want to be labeled 'crazy' right after moving there. He decided to stick to the 'just talking to myself' routine. "Let's see where the department stores are..."

A short time later, the white-haired teen had made his way into the largest store of the mall. He easily found the items his brother had requested, and meandered past the watch and jewelry department.

Something caught his eye, and he sauntered over to the display. The store clerks were all busy trying to handle the weekend crowd, and paid no attention to the sneaking youth.

'Too easy.' The pale-haired thief chuckled lowly as he slipped away from the display cases.

 _'Bakura, did you just_ _take_ _something?!'_

A pair of reddish-brown eyes widened in sudden realization. 'Crap, I forgot about the stupid ring.'

"Um, no... what makes you think that?"

 _'I felt your right pocket grow heavy- like you slipped something in there! You stole something, didn't you?!'_ Ryou sounded shocked.

Bakura decided to set the record straight. "Ok, yeah; so maybe I have a bad habit or two- so what? They're a giant store; this won't put them out of business."

He could feel the ring's frustration building. The metal almost seemed to vibrate and throw off heat.

 _'Fair enough- but I'm warning you, I **w** **on't** tolerate stealing.'_

"Too bad. My body, my rules." The rude teen felt a smirk growing across his face. He always enjoyed outwitting others- it was ego-boosting and entertaining.

But perhaps he'd underestimated his supernatural 'sidekick'. There was a brief mental pause, and then Ryou began soliloquizing in the most boring, monotonous tone Bakura had ever heard.

 _'Call me 'Ishmael.' Some years ago, -never mind how long precisely- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim-'_

"Alright, _**alright**_!" Bakura suddenly hissed towards the necklace. A few shoppers stared at this outburst, but he ignored them. "Stop it already; damn! Boring me half to death with that crap..."

 _'That_ _wa_ _s the first few sentences_ _of_ _Herman Melville's literary classic, 'Moby Dick.'_ Ryou didn't sound the least bit intimidated by his volatile vessel. _'I'm not sure where that all came from- I must have been in advanced classes or something in school- I think I could recite it even further if I tried!'_

"NO." Bakura lowered his voice, finally feeling the stares of the onlookers. "Just- just- wait a second." The pale thief backtracked his steps. He easily slipped the watch back out of his pocket and placed it back on the display. "There, you happy?" He whispered to his new conscience.

 _'Actually, yes.'_ Ryou didn't even sound sarcastic; he seemed genuinely relieved by the act. _'I mean, really, Bakura; why would you even want a watch like that? I mean, you have a nice phone, so you don't need it to tell time- and it wasn't even expensive or attractive- certainly not something worth bragging about. So why would you take it?'_

"Because I can." He mumbled to himself.

 _'...And you called 'Moby Dick' a load of crap?'_

Bakura nearly ran into a display of jeans when he heard the gentle spirit curse. "Did- did you just try to swear?"

 _'I was only quoting what you said- but yes; I'm basically saying that's bull-pucky.'_

The shopper snorted as he stepped over the store's threshold and into the main mall. "Oh? And why's that?"

 _'You're not stupid.'_

Bakura just raised an eyebrow. Even with his voice lowered, some of the other mall-goers were still curious as to why his lips were moving quietly.

He didn't need to be labeled 'crazy' just a few days after moving here.

 _'I mean, you wouldn't just do something risky without a reason.'_

"Hm." The teen was silent as he made his way towards the food court. He paused outside a fast-food chain. He stood in front of the giant poster listing the menu items. Though his lips still moved, at least now folks would assume he was going over the menu options in his head.

"You're right- I wouldn't."

There was an awkward silence as Bakura got in line and ordered a meal. He was already taking a seat at a small table when Ryou finally spoke up.

 _'So... what is it? What do you get out of stealing something you don't need, or even want?'_

Bakura continued chomping into his double cheeseburger. He waited several moments before swallowing and responding.

"I'll explain later. Right now I want to keep shopping, and it's hard to do that when everyone's watching me have a one-sided conversation with the air."

Ryou didn't reply, but there were no negative emotions flowing through the ring. Apparently he was satisfied with a later answer.

Bakura took his time with the rest of the trip, but it wasn't much fun. The mall itself was small and predictable, with the same stores as every other chain mall in Japan.

He bought a few smaller items, including a bottle of that weird soda Akefia liked, and some junk food for himself. True to his word, as soon as they were outside the mall, Bakura began speaking again.

"You wanted to know... why I steal."

 _'You don't_ _have_ _to tell me- I just want to understand.'_

The corporeal teen sighed, and shook his head. "No, it's alright... it's just... after the accident..." Bakura paused, making sure his voice was under control. It was hard to keep it low and quiet, what with the wavering emotions threatening to break through. "...I got depressed. I felt sick all the time- I didn't want to eat or move. I just wanted to sleep, _all the time_ , and I felt so... hollow."

 _'It's like you're constantly numb; but it still hurts- somehow.'_

Bakura blinked at the words- he'd forgotten that Ryou had lost family as well. "Hn... yeah... anyway, I was pretty miserable. I was desperate to get away from all that gloom. Then, one day, I accidentally stole a piece of fruit from a grocery store." He snorted as he watched the trickling waters falling down the large fountain outside the mall. "I was looking through the produce section, when Akefia decided to be a d*ck and shoved me. A bunch of apples almost fell, and apparently one of them slid down into the front pocket of my oversized hoodie. Neither of us realized until we got home, but then it hit me: there was this little thrill, this inkling of excitement."

Ryou held his tongue, and the physical teen continued.

"I hadn't felt anything like that in _weeks_ \- it was the only thing that seemed to break through the misery. I don't know what to say, except... it was like waking up from a bad dream. I just... felt alive again."

 _'But it didn't last, did it?'_

Bakura was starting to wonder if he liked having such a smart spirit for a companion. "No, it didn't. So I started taking other things- just small junk like candy bars and breath mints. It went on for a long time... but then I got caught."

 _'I figured as much- what happened?'_

Bakura made a 'tch' noise before speaking. "I nabbed a mini-MP3 player that had one of those hidden security tabs- it was a cheap brand, so I didn't think it would have one. The police felt sorry for me when they heard what had happened recently, and they let me off with a stern warning." He paused, his eyes growing wide. "But it was _**Akefia**_ who was really furious!" The teen shuddered involuntarily, and Ryou was amused to find that there was a slight hint of fear in his tone. "I know his eyes are normally reddish-purple, but I swear they were freakin'  glowing red, like flames or something!"

The invisible being held back a giggle before responding calmly. _'Did he say why he was so upset?'_

"Yeah... he thought I was throwing away my future. He kept saying that he was disappointed in me for not asking him for help with my 'addiction.'" Bakura snorted and threw a piece of trash at the fountain.

 _'Wow... he must think a lot of you.'_

"Eh?" The crimson-eyed teen frowned. "What the heck are you talking about?"

 _'Well, he obviously thinks you're a lot better than that. It sounds like he was frustrated that you thought you couldn't go to him for help.'_

Okay, now he knew the spirit was too damn smart for his own good. "Tch. So, what; you're a shrink now?"

 _'Nope, just making some casual observations. Besides, you wouldn't have felt that thrill in the first place if you didn't believe that stealing was bad, right? So you must have good morals. That's probably part of why your brother was so mad- he was really stunned that you'd do that.'_

"...huh."

The fountain burbled cheerfully as the pale teen rested silently on the painted bench. There were no further words from the ring. Apparently Ryou knew that his host had a lot on his mind, and was respectfully quiet.

A short while later, the corporal teen gave a sigh. "Well, I'm ready to go home." He stood up, stretching slightly. He looked downwards at the ring, hoping for some sort of positive response.

 _'I didn't recognize anything specific, but I think there used to be a small bookstore where that 'Sweet Toothie-Smoothie' stand was... maybe I spent a lot of time in there?'_

Bakura snorted. "I can't imagine why- given how many books you already have in your room, I don't know what else they could've possibly sold you."

Ryou didn't remark on his host's assumptions. _'It's a shame the store is gone- maybe you could've asked the shopkeeper a few questions- for me.'_

The white-haired punk shook his head. "Tch- it's a bad economy; a lot of little stores are going belly-up." He felt the pendant on his neck growing heavy, and he quickly added: "Don't worry, we're not giving up- we'll find something sooner or later. Right?"

 _'Right. ...thank you, Bakura.'_

Had he not been distracted by the flush on his own face, Bakura might've noticed that the ring itself was unusually warm on the ride home.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryou struggled to focus on the images from their visit to the mall, but unfortunately nothing past the closed bookstore seemed familiar. Bakura listened as he opened the front door, waiting for the spirit to say something. But the golden pendant remained silent.

It seemed like Ryou's past was still a mystery to them both.

The pale knuckles wrapped around the door handle, but the teen paused. Ginjiro Bakura wasn't the type to give in without a fight. And for some reason, Ryou's silence was bothering him. After quickly greeting his half-brother, Bakura made his way upstairs. He closed the door to his new bedroom before addressing the specter in the ring.

"I'm gonna fire up my laptop again and dig through some more of those results."

 _'That's kind of you, Bakura; but I really don't think I was anybody important... the chances of actually finding something are really slim.'_ The formless voice sounded weary.

Bakura waved one pale hand in dismissal. "Screw it; it's not like I have anything better to do. It's either dig for answers or help Akefia 're-decorate' the house."

Bakura was glad to hear a faint laugh from within the ring.

 _'_ _H_ _e doesn't_ _quite_ _strike me as the interior decorator type.'_

"What, you can't picture him putting rainbow sprinkles on cupcakes all day?" Bakura smirked as his laptop booted up. "He's the perfect domestic! Like Martha Stewart on steroids!"

 _'I'll grant the steroids part, but I'm not sure he'd be... that...'_

Ryou's' voice trailed off, and there was an awkward silence between the two.

Bakura had started an internet browser, which immediately opened up his e-mail account. Normally, Ryou wouldn't snoop, but he could hardly help what he 'saw' through Bakura's eyes.

And the first unread e-mail boldly declared that Bakura's membership to a very... mature... website was about to expire soon.

Furthermore, the subject title made it clear that the website was aimed at women and gay men.

There was a moment's pause in which neither teen spoke. Eventually, Ryou spoke up with a soft question.

 _'Um, Bakura? Is-_ _is_ _th_ _is_ _what Marik was asking_ _about_ _when he was on the phone with you earlier?'_

The mortified teen had already shut down the browser, and quickly hissed out a quick lie. "T-that was just spam! It's just random junk!"

But the voice wasn't fooled.

 _'_ _I'm not going to judge you, Bakura; I'm just curious._ _Does Akefia know?'_

"NO." Bakura sounded slightly bitter as he replied. "And he's never going to know."

Ryou wasn't the least bit dissuaded by the other boy's growling.

 _'You should just tell him. I really don't think he'd be all that upset or even surprised. He probably already knows, actually.'_

"What?! Are you saying it's obvious!?" The physical youth frowned at the golden bauble hanging from his neck.

 _'No... but I imagine he already knows because he's spent so much time with you, and he listens to you. I mean, someone close would eventually pick up on that; don't you think?'_

Bakura snorted and retorted testily. "And what makes _you_ such an expert?"

There was no reply, but Bakura felt the ring getting warmer with what he took to be embarrassment.

"...oh." The white-haired teen rubbed the back of his neck in awkward apology. "Er, sorry- I wasn't trying to be harsh.'

There was a slight delay before the spirit replied. _'S'okay... it's strange how that's one of the few things I_ _actually r_ _emember._ _'_ There was a thoughtful pause. _'_ _But that just tells me that it's something important; and I think your half-brother would take notice of anything important in your life.'_

"Hmph." The skeptical youth gave a huff. But there was a faint note of nervousness in his next words. "...you really think so?"

The ring's tone shifted to optimistic. _'Yep! Even if he's totally clueless, I doubt he'd be disappointed or angry. I mean, he's not the type to stand on street corners with a bullhorn, spewing out religious propaganda every weekend- right?'_

The other teen's grin grew back. "Nope, he only does that on weekdays."

 _'Perfect! So he's only partly-committed!'_

The two boys both snickered at this absurd imagery.

There was a sound from the kitchen, and Bakura looked at his cell phone's clock.

"He usually has his lunch right around now- he's probably downstairs..."

 _'I take it now's a good time to talk to him?'_

"As good as any." Bakura sighed. This wasn't what he'd planned on doing today, but he had been putting it off for a while... 'Here goes nothing.'

 _'Good luck, Bakura!'_

The anxious teen slowly made his way down the oak staircase. He peered around the corner.

His elder brother was currently sipping coffee at the wooden kitchen table. He was sorting through what looked like dozens of home décor magazines and paint color booklets.

Bakura stepped into the room, his voice fairly steady.

"Akefia."

The other male didn't look up. "What."

"There's something you should know..."

"Okay."

"I... uh... I think I'm probably gay."

"Uh-huh." The older sibling didn't move, but instead continued flipping through a book of paint samples. "Hey, what do you think about painting this room teal green?"

Ryou nearly laughed at Akefia's nonchalance, but Bakura didn't quite take it so well.

"What do you mean, _'uh-huh'_?! What kind of answer is _that?!_ "

The grown man put down the paint samples and shrugged. "I've known for years now. It's not that big a deal for me. But if you ever need to talk, I'm here."

"But- HOW did you know?!"

Akefia chuckled briefly before counting the ways on his fingers. "Well, for one thing, you always had the cutest schoolgirls hiding love letters into your backpack, yet you never even _looked_ at them; then, one time, you actually got _mad_ at me when I turned on a swimsuit modeling competition on MTV, saying you'd rather watch the 'bloody news' than a 'slutty garbage contest;' and lastly, you're the only guy I know who can tell the difference between a $30 pair of shoes and a $300 pair."

"That's just because I've stolen enough to- know- the brands..." Bakura trailed off awkwardly as his brother's gaze turned suspicious.

"Recently?"

" _No!_ I mean in the past!" Bakura scowled, annoyed at the accusation.

"Hm." The taller man suddenly stood up, his eyes narrowed as he looked downwards at his lighter relative. "Listen: I don't have a problem with gay people. I'll support you no matter what lifestyle you live." He pointed one index finger directly in Bakura's face. " _ **But**_ , I will NOT let you become some lowlife kleptomaniac- capicé? You're too smart to throw your life away in prison for pick-pocketing. I promised to take care of you- and that includes keeping you respectable."

Bakura gave a snicker. "I think that ship's already sailed."

Akefia's mouth twitched slightly, but he didn't laugh. "I'm serious. Father asked me to look after you shortly before he married your mother. And I swore that I would."

Ginjiro Bakura nearly jumped when his half-sibling suddenly grabbed him and pulled him into a powerful hug. "You're the only family I have left- and I'm not going to lose you. Alright?"

Bakura began squirming and gasping at the overly-emotional response. "'Ke-fia! Can't-breathe!"

"Whoops! Sorry, bro!" The larger man chuckled as he let go of his suffocating sibling. Bakura frowned and glared at his overly-brawny brother.

"If you're so set on not losing me, then don't strangle me to death!"

Akefia kept laughing. "It's not my fault you're such a twig!" He poked playfully at the teen's thin arms. "Seriously, are you _allergic_ to exercise? I think Santa's gonna bring you a gym membership this year!"

Bakura scowled. "Then I'll get him a venison-processing kit."

"Sure, sure. Anyway, like I said, I'm here if you ever need to talk." Akefia placed one bronzed hand on his sibling's shoulder. "But, back to the original question: teal?"

Bakura looked around the silver-toned kitchen and gave faint smile. "Actually, I kind of like it the way it is."

"Really? Hmm, alright, if it looks good to you. But we're definitely going to do something to the bathrooms." Akefia grabbed his wallet and headed towards the front of the house. "I have to grab some stuff at the hardware store- I'll be back before dinner. Later!"

Bakura waved as the door shut, then turned his attention back to the ring.

"Hey, Ryou? ...thanks."

 _'No problem! I'm glad it went so well! And you certainly don't have to thank me; you've done more than enough to help with my 'story'!'_

"Actually," the corporeal teen turned to look out the kitchen's front windows and grinned, "I think I might have another idea about that."


	5. Chapter 5

_Bakura waved as the door shut, then turned his attention back to the ring._

" _Hey, Ryou? ...thanks."_

 _'No problem! I'm glad it went so well! And you certainly don't have to thank me; you've done more than enough to help with my 'story'!'_

" _Actually," the corporeal teen turned to look out the kitchen's front windows and grinned, "I think I might have another idea about that."_

 _'Another idea?'_ The un-seeable spirit sounded curious. _'What kind of idea?'_

The other youth grinned. "I'll explain later. But right now it's pretty light outside, so we can start-"

*beep!~beep!~beep!* There was a melodic bleeping from somewhere in Bakura's jeans. He quickly fished out his cell phone, recognizing the 'text message' signal.

Bakura snorted as he looked at the screen- it was an order from Akefia.

/BTW, I forgot to say earlier, but take a shower before you go out! You reek!/

The pale teen sighed as he marched back upstairs to the full bathroom. "Sorry, Ryou- it looks like the sleuthing's going to have to wait- 'The Almighty Half-Sibling' has issued his command."

But the invisible boy merely dismissed the delay with more words of his gratitude.

The other youth closed the door of the larger bathroom and began shucking off his socks. He was just grabbing the hem of his grey t-shirt when he was interrupted.

 _'Um, Bakura?'_

The wearer paused. Ryou's voice sounded unusually tremulous and awkward.

"What?"

 _'Could... could you maybe take off the ring first, before you undress?' _

There was a new warmth rising from the golden pendant, but this time Bakura was amazed to realize it wasn't anger or fear.

It was embarrassment.

The devious teen grinned. "Why, Ryou, don't be ridiculous! Why shouldn't I leave the ring on at all times?"

The warmth grew, and the amused youth barely held back his laughter as the spirit nervously replied.

 _'B-bu-but, what if getting the ring wet causes the magic to stop working?'_

The wicked smirk on Bakura's face grew wider. " _Oh please_ , I doubt that your father would send you something so shoddy as a present. Besides, you said you wore it proudly, right? So now it's like you're wearing it again- isn't that fitting? Rather thoughtful on my part, as well."

There was a very faint noise, like a partial whimper, from within the cool metal surface. Bakura rolled his eyes and slowly started to remove the pendant.

"Alright, alright- sheesh, I was just joking. Wouldn't want this old rope to get moldy and crap." He carefully laid down the ancient artifact on the porcelain sink before continuing his routine.

Bakura made a point to completely finish his shower and get fully dressed before re-donning the jewelry. At which point Ryou seemed to be even quieter than usual.

At first the incarnate teen thought it was more embarrassment. He began combing his hair, not commenting on the quietness. Bakura focused on carefully de-tangling his wild mane of white locks. But eventually the silence started to unnerve the pale youth.

"Oy, Ryou?" He put the thick hairbrush down on the dresser. "You still in there?"

 _'I'm here...'_ The voice sounded like it was coming from farther away, as if Ryou was distracted. _'Er, Bakura? You mentioned that you had another idea to help me figure out my past... um, may I ask what that idea was?'_

Bakura felt his shoulders relax- what was it about that mysteriously pleasant voice that made him feel so... calm? He shook his drying bangs from side to side before replying.

"Well, when Akefia was leaving, he opened the front door, and I noticed a couple walking a dog on the other side of the street. And that got me thinking about all the other people who must live in this neighborhood- I mean, there's gotta be at least _**one**_ person who's been here a few years, right? And you seem like a really nice guy-" (here the ring gave a faint flush of warmth) "-so I'm guessing you'd be on good terms with them. I mean, it's not like you'd egg someone's windows for fun, right?"

Ryou ignored his host's last statement. _'So, you think one of my neighbors may remember me?'_ The golden pendant shivered with excitement, and the specter replied excitedly. _'That's brilliant! Thank you, Bakura!'_

"Don't thank me yet- we still don't know if it'll work. But it's worth a shot."

 _'Well, thank you nonetheless.'_

Bakura grinned as he closed the front door behind him. "I figured I'd start by walking down the sidewalk and looking if anyone's outside- but remember, I can't just keep talking to a piece of old jewelry. It's not exactly 'normal' to be caught having conversations with precious metals."

 _'That's fine; I won't say anything unless it's importan- OH!'_ The voice suddenly broke off with a surprised gasp. _'That lady gardening- I think I recognize her!'_

"Huh?"Bakura turned his attention back to the block- sure enough, the house next door had a small garden in the front yard, and an older woman was tending to it. She had a thin, blue scarf tied around a worn, straw hat. She had pink rubber gloves on both her hands, and one was currently grasping a metal trowel.

 _'She's very nice- I think her name begins with an 'I'-?'_

Bakura didn't comment aloud, but made his way towards the aged groundskeeper. "Oy!"

"Hmm?" The gardening pensioner paused and looked up.

The white-haired neighbor cleared his throat and tried to act somewhat polite. "Er, good afternoon, ma'am. I realize this is a bit random, but I found a picture shortly after we moved in to the house next door-" Bakura pointed to the home, "-and I was wondering if you knew anything about the past residents? The picture was of a boy about my age and build."

The ease with which Bakura lied unnerved the spirit slightly, but he listened as the older lady answered.

"Oh, my yes; I know exactly who you're talking about." The woman gave a deep sigh as she stood up and dusted the dirt off her knees. Bakura could feel the ring growing cool at her disheartened utterance. "That home used to belong to the Bakura family." Neither Ryou nor Bakura remarked on the strange coincidence of surnames. They were both too curious. "A boy used to live there- sweet thing, always used to help me with my garden... wouldn't hurt a fly, poor soul." The elderly woman gave a shuddering sigh. "Oh, but what a horrible story... everyone said that their family was cursed, but heaven knows I never believed in curses, until..."

"What happened?" Bakura felt a sense of foreboding build in his chest. The metal ring felt frigid.

"Oh, well, it all started not long after they moved back from Egypt- the father used to dig up mummies and old things like that- very eerie."

 _'I remember now- he was an Egyptologist! He studied Ancient Egyptian history!'_ Bakura heard a faint note of excitement in the voice.

"People used to joke and say that he would wake up a curse one day... well, maybe he did..." The blithering matriarch trailed off, and Bakura struggled not to snap. "Hmm, but one day there was an accident- I don't remember much; I was out of town visiting my sister and didn't hear the news firsthand." Bakura could felt the spirit resting against his chest churning uneasily. "But it seems there was a horrible car accident- the mother and his sister were both killed, and the father barely survived."

There was a burst of sharp energy from the ring, and Bakura flinched. It felt painful, and he paused before voicing his next question.

"...and the boy?"

"Oh yes, young Ryou Bakura- poor thing. He was badly hurt, but he lived- at least, I think he did. I remember he was in the hospital for several months- I tried to stop by one day, but they refused to allow any visitors besides family members." She shook her head, the hat barely staying on. "Apparently he fell into a very deep coma. I'm not sure if he ever came out of it, but his father vowed to spend every penny supporting him in case he did."

"When was all of this?"

"Oh, I think it was about two years ago? Give or take... such a tragedy... I suppose you could try and contact the boy's father to return the photo. It may be hard, though- he had to go back to Egypt for his job- very hard decision, but heaven knows the hospital bills and funerals weren't cheap... poor man."

"Right... well, that's very helpful, thanks." The disheartened youth left the senior to her planting. He immediately headed for the door of what he now knew to be the Bakura's house.

Thankfully, Akefia was still out, but Bakura made sure he was alone in his bedroom before speaking.

"Ryou?" He whispered hesitantly. "Erm, you- you there?"

 _'…'_ There was a brief pause before a tremulous voice replied. _'I'm here...'_

There was a raw sadness cutting through the link, and Bakura recognized it as the loss of all hope. His chest clenched as he mumbled a reply. "I'm... I'm sorry."

 _'No... it's not your fault. I asked you to find out. It's just... I was hoping...'_ There was a rough sob, followed by a quiet crying that echoed from deep within the ring. _'I want to remember them so badly... but I can't even picture their faces..._ _'_ Ryou sniffled. _'...still, I loved them. I_ _know_ _that.'_

Bakura wasn't sure what else to say, so he waited silently as the small voice grieved.

The rest of the evening was very awkward. Akefia was confused by his sibling's quietness, but eventually chalked it up to reflection over his 'coming out' earlier that day. Ryou even suggested that Bakura remove the ring (since he wasn't going to be 'much good company for a while') but the teen refused, stubbornly insisting that he wasn't leaving Ryou alone. The grieving youth was stunned by the sudden support, and he felt his heart warming despite his sorrow. Still, he could hardly bring himself to talk, and he sobbed intermittently throughout the night. Still, Bakura kept the ring on, not taking it off for an instant. He had no idea just how much this small gesture meant to the spirit. Even when Bakura had drifted into the realm of dreams, Ryou could feel the other's presence.

 _'Thank you, Bakura.'_


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Bakura awoke to find that his invisible ally was still very much depressed. Not that he could blame him. The story they'd heard yesterday was pretty dark.

Ginjiro Bakura wasn't used to apologizing, but something about the downhearted tones coming from the ring made him feel wretched.

"...sorry again, Ryou."

 _'It's alright, Bakura.'_ The downcast spirit replied. _'It's certainly not your fault, and you've already done more than enough to help me.'_

But the stubborn thief shook his head. "I promised to help you find out who you are- besides, you're forgetting something."

 _'What's that?'_

"We still have one more option left- and if he-" Bakura paused as he was interrupted by a melodic tone coming from his right jean pocket. 'Speak of the blonde devil...' He quickly fished out the cell and hit the 'answer' button.

"What is it, Marik?"

"Well, the big bad wolf is back in town! Are you going to come over and-"

*Click!*

There was a disapproving noise from the ring. _'That was a little rude.'_

The white-haired punk scoffed. "Trust me, he'll get over it. Besides..." He quickly tapped out a brief message to Akefia on his phone. "We have more important things to worry about."

 _'Oh? Like what?'_

"Like getting to the bus stop before the next one leaves."

A few minutes later, Bakura had boarded bus #148 to Domino City. Kiyoshi city wasn't far from the sprawling metropolis of Domino, and the entire ride was barely ten minutes. Still, Ryou remained thoughtfully silent. He knew how Bakura would look if he started randomly talking to a piece of jewelry on a city bus.

Although Ryou's mood lifted slightly at the thought. After all, the images that came to mind _were_ rather amusing.

Soon, an electronic voice flatly intoned: "NOW. APPROACHING. DOMINO. CITY. STOP #3."

The "Domino Daily" headquarters was situated several blocks from the bus stop. The giant building was made of white marble and bronze. It seemed to glisten in the sun, like a shimmering beacon of opulence.

 _'Wow...'_ Ryou watched as Bakura's eyes followed up the building's towering structure. _'It's beautiful.'_

The other teen remained silent as he scaled the concrete steps up to the main door. Thankfully, the first floor was open to the public, and the security guard only gave him a cursory glance as he stepped inside. The pale deviant had barely stepped into the plush lobby when he heard his name being positively _bellowed_.

" _ **BAKURA!"**_

Several businessmen and women stopped and stared at the wild blonde-and-purple blur that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The large figure promptly latched onto the furious Bakura, holding the smaller teen in a basic headlock while mussing up his hair.

"D*mn it, Marik! Cut that sh*t out!" Bakura hissed angrily at his friend. Marik stepped away and pretended to be upset as he rebuked the other troublemaker.

"Hey, don't curse in here! You could get my father fired that way!"

Bakura swore he heard a stifled chuckle from the ring as he angrily replied: "Your 'father' owns the bloody company! What's he going to do, fire himself?!"

"You never know! Anyway, wanna head up and say hello to the big man himself?"

The scowling visitor reluctantly allowed his pushy friend to guide him towards the elevators. They stepped inside, ignoring the strange looks from the other occupants.

"Dad's on the top floor." Marik explained as he pushed the right button.

The elevator was highly-polished, with chrome accents and grey-and-black tiles on the walls.

There was a pleasant *ding!* as they reached the upmost floor. The doors slid open, and Marik led the way down the red-carpeted hall. The entire corridor was lined with large, mahogany colored doors.

The last door on the right was partly open, and Marik barely knocked before flinging it wide open.

"Hey dad, look what the cat dragged in!"

"Hmm?" Mr. Ishtar was currently shifting through a stack of papers. The middle-aged man was sitting in a black leather chair behind a handsome mahogany desk.

He was wearing a dark blue suit with a houndstooth-styled tie. His blonde hair was slicked backwards in a strict style, and his eyes were a mild amber color. He looked up at the two teens with surprise.

"Ah- Ginjiro Bakura." The older man stood up and stepped in front of the wooden furniture. "It's been quite a while. How are you and your brother?" He held out his hand for the white-haired youth to shake. Bakura took the greeting in stride, shaking hands with the newspaper mogul.

"Erm, we're both doing fine- we just moved into a leased house. Actually, that's why I'm here- I was hoping for a small favor. See, I found this old photograph..."

One brief (white) lie later, and the older man mused to himself with one hand on his chin.

"Hmm... how unusual. I must admit, I'm somewhat surprised by your request; but it seems a worthy undertaking. I'd be pleased to help you find the previous tenants and return their sentimental photo."

The man remained standing as he explained. "I think your best bet would be to look through the main computer in our archive room." Marik took a seat by the door as his father elaborated. "You should know that our search engine can trawl through all of our archived articles- from 1952 to last week's- so you'll need to be very specific about the search parameters." Mr. Ishtar then began explaining the various tools and options that the staff used to help narrow their search results. When he was finished, he gave Bakura a small slip of paper with four numbers written on it.

"That's the security code for the room- you'll need to enter that into the keypad above the door handle to open it."

"Got it." The pale youth pocketed the sheet and made to head out. But Bakura was surprised to find that Marik hadn't moved from his seat. "You're not coming?"

"Nah, I'm not allowed in that room anymore- apparently it's 'not humorous' to swap fake news articles with the genuine archives."

Mr. Ishtar gave his offspring a sharp glance. "I should think not, considering the invaluable service we provide to the historical community. Not to mention, _no one_ in their right mind would seriously believe that Neo-Nazi vampires are infiltrating the Brazilian government."

"But it was April Fool's Day!"

Bakura snorted under his breath and left the room with one last 'thanks' to the light-haired men. It didn't take him long to find the heavy door labeled, "The Archive Room." There was a faint red light blinking on the number pad that kept the door closed. He entered the key-code into the door lock and watched as the small light turned from red to green. The handle clicked, and he was able to enter.

The Domino Daily's 'Archive Room' was actually a small library of sorts. There were a few dusty bookcases stuffed with physical copies of the paper's back issues, and some metal cabinet drawers housing the press's microfilm reels. There was a long wooden table with several (empty) chairs, and three desks with various pens and notepads to use.

The largest desk, however, had what Bakura was really interested in- a large desktop computer with the label 'Archive Retrieval' taped at the top of the screen.

The computer was somewhat outdated, but fast. The machine was already on and waiting, the cursor indicator flashing impatiently in the empty 'Search' field. Bakura promptly typed the name 'Ryou Bakura' into the blank box, and then hit the 'Local Events' option. When the results popped up, he added the additional parameter of 'Within Past 5 Years' before scouring the results.

Instantly, several articles appeared on screen, their titles in a larger, bold font.

 **'Tragedy Strikes At Main Street Crossing.'**

 **'Local Scholar Loses Wife and Daughter in Horrible Accident.'**

 **'Teen Clings to Life After Auto Accident.'**

There was an audible gasp as Bakura's eyes drifted over the last title. _'Click that one! Please!'_

Bakura gave a curt nod as he opened the subsequent text file. He knew this wasn't going to be pretty...

Sure enough, the article detailed what they'd already learned.

"Barely 14, Ryou Bakura is still in a comatose state after last month's tragic car accident took his mother and sister's lives..." Bakura murmured to himself as he skimmed over the words. The article was briefly interrupted by an inset image. The black-and-white photograph looked liked a school portrait. The young teen pictured was smiling gracefully. His hair was a brilliant white and he had very pale skin.

The caption beneath it labeled it as 'Ryou Bakura- Aged 14.'

 _'Wow... I looked a lot like you!'_ The non-visual teen sounded shocked, but not displeased.

"Odd... and with our names being so similar... hm." The physical youth muttered quietly, "Hope we're not related."

Ryou heard, and awkwardly added, _'I doubt it... the article says my only living relative is my father..._ _since the crash..._ _'_

"Ah." Bakura cleared his throat and kept on reading the article aloud. "Ryou was in the care of Togura Emergency Hospital before being moved to the long-term care unit at Domino General... hmm... that's not far from here, is it?"

 _'I'm afraid I don't really remember... why?'_

A faint smirk etched its way across the mischievous teen's face. "I have another idea..."


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N: The legal driving age in Japan is 18- you can't get a driver's license before then. Only special, temporary licenses are distributed for small-class vehicles driven by 16 and 17 year-olds).

Fortunately, Domino General Hospital wasn't far from the Domino Daily offices. After quickly printing out a few pages from the database, the pair left the building. Bakura headed down the city sidewalks, guided by the occasional signpost. The mid-afternoon streets of the metropolis were busy and loud. No-one noticed the teenage boy quietly mumbling to himself.

"Domino Hospital- 2 Blocks." He read the blue guidepost aloud as they passed it.

 _'Bakura- are you really going to try and find someone staying in the city's largest hospital? Even if you know what ward I'm on, you'd still have to get past their security.'_

Bakura didn't slow his pace, although he did admit his plan had some flaws.

"I don't know if they'll let me see you, true- I mean, a random stranger who just moved into town? I'd almost be concerned if they did."

 _'Hmm... you're right... but what would... ah! I know! Just tell them you're my brother!'_

"Your... brother?"

 _'Yes! Close family are always allowed to visit, and we look enough alike that they shouldn't question it much!'_

"What if they ask to see my ID?"

 _'You forgot it at home! You weren't thinking since you just found out what had happened! You were estranged and away for a year, so no-one contacted you about the accident! You're distraught!'_

"So many ways this could go wrong..." The pessimistic teen frowned. "Wait- what if they ask why I haven't been in to visit for the past year?"

 _'Don't worry, Bakura- you can just say that you were away at a special boarding school!'_

"That's lame. Besides, why wouldn't they just call me on my cell phone? Or through the school?"

 _'You're a horrible student, and they didn't want to distract you from your studies with bad news?'_

" _That's_ lame _and_ insulting!"

 _'Fine- say there was a rift in the family between you and our father, and you didn't answer his calls.'_

The belligerent youth snorted under his breath. "...that's more believable, at least."

 _'It'll have to do- I think we're here.'_

Sure enough, there was a large metal sign in front of them, surrounded by carefully-tended daffodils and tulips. The sign read, "Domino General Hospital Campus" and had various arrows pointing to different parking lots. The large, gleaming building had an off-white facade and many curtain-covered windows.

"Well, here we go..." Bakura muttered, more to himself than the invisible spirit.

The hospital's main desk was a large, wooden structure that took up a good portion of the lobby. The blonde receptionist politely directed Bakura to the fifth floor on the west end- the Neurology Ward.

"You'll have to check in at the front desk-" she explained, "-the nurse on duty will sign you in."

There was a soft *ding* as the elevator reached the fifth floor. Sure enough, the first thing Bakura saw was another wooden desk, with a surly old woman sitting behind it.

The nurse narrowed her eyes as the strange teen stepped towards her. Her expression wasn't friendly.

But the white-haired visitor wasn't deterred. "I'm here to visit my brother, Ryou Bakura."

The cross caregiver gave the teen a skeptical glance. "Hmph. If it's your first visit, I'll need to make a photocopy of your driver's license." She held out her hand expectantly.

Not pleased with her abrasive attitude, Bakura scowled. "I don't have one yet."

"No-one under the age of 18 without a class-1 license may be admitted to the ward without a parent or legal guardian present." The crotchety woman recited automatically.

There was moment's silence, then Bakura grinned. "Then... what if our older cousin comes with? He's over 18, and licensed."

 _'Eh? Older cousin?'_

But Bakura ignored the bewildered voice from the ring, and watched the old crone's expression. She looked irritated, but didn't object. "Hmpth... that should be fine. Visit hours are 4-7 PM on weekdays, 2-7 PM on weekends."

With a final huff, she waved him off, and he headed back onto the metal elevator.

No-one else was inside, and Ryou spoke up curiously. _'Um, Bakura? What did you mean by 'our older cousin' coming with?'_

The pale punk smirked. "Well, I think a little white lie might be in order..."

Less than twenty minutes later, the pale thief was back on the front steps of his rented home. He took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing..."

 _'Huh? What do you mean, here goes-'_

Bakura suddenly burst through the front door and dramatically yelled for his half-brother. **"** _ **Akefia!**_ _ **Marik's in the hospital!**_ _He was attacked by a_ _group_ _of hoodlums that he foolishly insulted!"_

There was a screech from within the ring. _' **That's** what you call a 'little white lie'?!' _

Akefia looked upset as he came out of the small kitchen. "What?! Oh hell... is he alright?"

Bakura shook his head, much to Ryou's chagrin. "He's in the intensive unit in the neurology ward- he's in a coma."

"Sh*t-" Akefia rubbed his forehead in disbelief. He knew Marik was his half-brother's oldest and closest friend. "Damn... never thought he was that crazy... poor kid... we should go visit him."

Bakura continued playing up the distressed-friend role. "I tried, but they won't let me visit without an adult!"

Akefia sighed and gave a single, solemn nod. "Alright. We'll go in a few minutes. Let me just turn off the stove..." The dark-toned man made his way back into the kitchen, leaving Ryou alone with his host.

 _'Bakura...'_ The voice chided warningly.

The punk whispered sharply. "Yeah, yeah, I know- but how else can we get into the ward? I'm not exactly trained in making fake ID's, you know."

The cursed jewelry remained quiet. They both knew that, like it or not; this was probably their best chance at getting to the bottom of the whole bizarre mystery.

The elder sibling hurriedly threw their dinner in the fridge and grabbed his car keys. The two corporal males were silent as the small sedan sped along the highway.

"We're nearly there- just about three or four more minutes." The tanned driver finally commented.

"Er, Akefia?" Ryou listened as Bakura spoke up. "I think you should know... I may have told a... slight lie."

Akefia's left eyebrow raised, and he glanced at his half-sibling. "A 'slight' lie?" Bakura nodded. "About _what_ , exactly?"

"Um, Marik wasn't injured- it was someone else. A new friend of mine."

"You made a new friend?" Akefia was a little shocked- he knew his sibling wasn't a master of social skills. Truthfully, he tended to make enemies far more easily than friends. "That's great- but why did you lie? I wouldn't mind taking you to see someone else in the hospital."

"Well... he's... he's sort of... in my head." The younger brother finished lamely.

Akefia blinked several times, then glared. "Bakura... is this a prank? Because if it is, it is certainly NOT funny."

" _No_ , it's not a prank!" The teen paused before he started to explain the entire story. "You see, when we first moved in, I found this ring-" Here he lifted the unusual pendant from under his shirt and showed the glistening item to his brother, "-under my bed. I put it on, and then I heard a voice-"

The elder Bakura listened to his younger sibling's story without commenting. He managed to guide the sedan into the non-emergency hospital visitor's lot. But he didn't get out of the car after it stopped.

"-And then the nurse said we couldn't get in because I'm under age, so we went back home and, well... that's when I made up the stuff about Marik." The pale-toned teen tried to give a nonchalant shrug, as though that was the only odd thing about his tale.

But the dark-skinned sibling was becoming seriously concerned. "Brother, is this some sort of attention-seeking thing? I know I've been busy, but if you need to talk or-"

"No! This is _real!_ Look, I'll prove it to you, alright?!" The rebellious delinquent tried not to lose his temper. "Just get me in to Ryou's room and I'll show you. I promise, this isn't some stupid joke!"

The young adult knew better than to blindly trust his only relative. Bakura and Marik had pulled some very impressive pranks in the past, and he knew Marik wasn't clever enough to come up with half of them. Still, there was a sincerity in his brother's eyes that he didn't often see. He looked... serious.

" _ **Please**_ , brother. Trust me. Just this once."

Akefia sighed as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He certainly didn't look amused, but he decided whatever was going on had to be fairly big. His brother rarely begged for anything. "Alright. I'll help you get into the hospital ward- but if this turns out to be some sort of hoax," he pointed one bronzed finger directly in Bakura's face, "you're going to _long_ for death by the time I'm though with you- got it?"

"Got it." Bakura unbuckled his own seatbelt and hopped out of the car. As the small family walked across the black-paved lot, the invisible voice spoke up.

 _'Bakura? Um, I might have an idea about how you could prove to Akefia that you're not mental...'_


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N: Just one more chapter after this! Thank you so much for reading!)

The two visible men stepped out of the elevator and onto the quiet Neurology ward. Ryou had quickly explained his idea to Bakura as they rode up to the floor. By the time they reached the grumpy nurse's desk, Ryou had just finished his suggestions. Akefia was busy handing his ID over to the nurse, and didn't notice his sibling hastily whispering: "That should work."

"It seems the patient you're looking for is currently in a single long-term care unit. Room 230- third door on the right side of the hall." She gestured towards the right side of the desk.

Bakura headed for the room, while Akefia continued speaking with the crabby old nurse. The door to 230 wasn't fully closed, and the thin teen easily slipped inside.

The sterile room had a certain eerie stillness to it- only a faint electronic beeping could be heard. There was a dark green curtain hiding the rest of the room from the small door frame. Bakura put one hand on the thick cloth, and waited.

After a moment's silence, he heard a nervous voice give him permission. _'Ok.'_

The teen nodded and pulled back the heavy fabric barrier, revealing a small hospital bed.

There, on the medical mattress, surrounded by machines and tubes, was a slender figure.

Bakura felt his breath stop for a moment.

The boy's skin was even paler than his own. Long, pure hair framed a soft face. Underneath the clear, plastic respirator was a small, button nose and two peach-tinted lips.

Bakura blinked in surprise at the light-colored form lying before him. "Wow. You're cute."

There was a faint squeak from within the ring, which rapidly heated up to the temperature of a blazing wildfire.

 _'D-don't make fun of me! I look terrible! I'm all gaunt and pasty-looking!'_

"Sorry, I stand by my previous assessment. Besides, how much darker is your skin supposed to be? I saw a photo of you, remember? You're definitely not a ganguro boy."

 _'…'_ There was no further response from the ring, but Bakura had the feeling that he could've cooked an egg on the metal surface if he'd liked.

There was a sound of someone entering the room, and Bakura turned to find his half-sibling standing in the door frame. His tanned arms were folded, and he looked cross.

"The nurse said he's been in a coma for well over a year- which means you _can't_ have spoken to him in the past few days." His purplish-red eyes narrowed. "And you'd never _been_ to Kiyoshi or Domino before we moved- so how could you know this boy? He's a total stranger."

"No, he's _not_." The defiant teen insisted. "And we're going to prove it to you, right now."

The exasperated man ran a hand through his white hair. "Bakura, I want to believe you... but, you know this sounds completely insane, right?"

"I know- but just- shut up for a moment, ok?" Bakura fell silent, leaving his elder sibling to stand awkwardly next to the inert patient's bed. "Ok- got it." He turned to his half-brother and pointed at the unconscious form. "Alright, look at his left wrist- there should be a small burn mark on the pulse point- he was cooking pancakes for his sister when the frying pan nearly fell."

Akefia raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but he (reluctantly) grabbed the comatose boy's wrist. He carefully tilted the hand until he could see the underside of the forearm. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when he saw a faintly raised mark on the skin- an old burn.

"What the..."

"Right- hang on- ok, and if you look just under his right ear, there's a faint mark from where a bee stung him the day before his 8th birthday."

Flabbergasted, the older visitor cautiously moved aside the white strands of hair covering the boy's ear. Sure enough, there was a very small dent where the skin had once been punctured and healed.

Akefia's bronzed face grew nearly as white as his hair. " _What_ -?"

"Wait, hold on, he's talking again-" Bakura paused as Ryou asked something. "Uh-huh, yeah; I can do that- Ryou wants to know if you still speak English?"

Akefia spoke haltingly. " **I** remember some from school, yes- but _you_ don't-"

"[My name is Ryou. It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Akefia Bakura.]" Although everything was oddly garbled, it was definitely English- a language his sibling did _NOT_ know. And yet, it was Bakura's voice and mouth that made the sounds.

Akefia felt his legs nearly buckle in shock. "My gods... but that's... that's not- possible!?"

Bakura shrugged. "Ryou just told me to imitate whatever he said as close as possible. I still didn't understand it, though."

"Bakura..." Akefia felt his voice waver, "This is incredible." He glanced over at the comatose boy. "...But- wait- if you're hearing his voice; why doesn't his body wake up?"

"We're not sure- he has a theory, but it's complicated. Apparently his father studied Ancient Egyptian cultures, and he may have accidentally put a curse on their entire family."

"Uh-huh." Akefia was still struggling to accept this weird reality he seemed to have fallen into.

Bakura gestured to the golden pendant around his neck. "I think Ryou's soul is hidden in this necklace- his father gave it to him to protect him from the curse. It couldn't stop the accident, but it saved his life- sort of."

The older brother shook his head from side to side in disbelief. "Am- am I even awake right now? Am I hallucinating?"

Bakura just snorted. "Yeah, that's what I thought when I first started hearing his voice. But apparently, weird stuff just happens sometimes." He looked downwards at the mysterious pendant. "Well, here goes nothing. You ready, Ryou?"

 _'Mm-hmm.'_ The voice sounded tremulous, but determined.

Ginjiro Bakura carefully lifted the old rope over his head. Akefia watched in fascination as his younger sibling moved towards the patient.

Bakura held his breath as he slid the rough cord over the unconscious boy's slight neck.

There was a sudden glow of brilliant, golden light. Then the patient's chest inflated, and he let out a large exhalation of air.

Two eyes fluttered somewhat, before blinking part-ways open. There was a soft groan, and then they opened fully.

The soft, emerald-green orbs stared upwards at the hospital ceiling. They slowly drifted sideways, until they fell upon the room's only other occupants.

Ryou grinned weakly. "Hello, Bakura." His voice was hoarse from ages of disuse. Bakura still thought it sounded wonderful.

The amazed teen smiled back. "Hey."

Akefia, meanwhile, was still struggling not to fall to the floor in shock.

Unfortunately, Ryou wasn't able to get up, as his muscles had atrophied from months and months of disuse. But the panic that quickly encompassed the room soon made it impossible for any of the three white-haired youths to move about anyway.

The stunned nurses quickly shoo'ed the two visitors out of the room. It wasn't every day that a long-term coma patient regained consciousness, and they were just as apprehensive as they were shocked.

Akefia still felt rather dazed himself. He took a seat on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the hall. He noticed his brother was much more reluctant to leave the patient's room. Eventually Bakura sat down on a similar chair next to his relative, his eyes never leaving the door of room 230.

Akefia noticed the dazed look on his brother's face, and smirked. "Oh, _now_ I see."

"Huh?" The distracted teen finally turned his head. "Now you see _what_?"

"I thought this was a lot of a fuss for 'just a friend.'" The elder sibling teased. "But I think it's obvious that your mystery companion means much more to you than that."

"Eh?!" Bakura spluttered furiously. "That's not- we're only- you're wrong!"

"Really? What a shame." Akefia commented with faux-blitheness. "Though it's hardly a loss on his part- after all, he _is_ a medical miracle. Ryou's probably going to become quite famous in the next few months- he'll have rich, handsome doctors just _begging_ to study him."

A single nerve twitched on the younger brother's forehead.

Akefia smirked, knowing he'd gotten Bakura's attention. "Hey, I'm straight, and even _I_ admit he's cute."

Just at that moment, a particularly attractive young man in a lab coat made his way into the coma patient's room.

Bakura jumped up and followed after the blonde doctor.

Akefia, meanwhile, stretched out across on the plastic chairs and grinned. 'No need to thank me, bro.'

Bakura managed to hang back in a corner while the doctors jostled around the awoken boy. Noticing their similar appearances, and the fact that he was already on the ward, the physicians assumed Bakura must be a blood relative of the patient's, and left him alone. He waited (unusually) patiently as Ryou was poked, prodded, and asked virtually every medical question ever proposed. The blonde technician merely drew a blood sample before leaving. The professional was rather confused, however, by the white-haired teen scowling at him from the room's corner the entire time.

Half an hour later, and the other doctors had slowly dwindled out until only the head of the ward, Dr. Honma, was left. Dr. Honma seemed pleased, and he began wrapping up his own diagnosis. "This is fantastic news- we'll arrange for a video conference with your father immediately." Ryou's eyes seemed to light up at the suggestion. "With the time change, we should be able to get ahold of him sometime tomorrow morning- the sun's already set in Egypt."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Of course." The senior physician stood up, and gestured towards the other teen waiting in the corner. "Normally visiting hours would be over soon, but given the extreme nature of this case, I'll ask that the desk nurses grant you another hour." He nodded to Bakura, who nodded back.

"Thanks."

Dr. Honma paused in the doorway. "Try and get some sleep, Mr. Bakura- and remember, if you feel any dizziness or light sensitivity- hit the call button immediately."

"I will! Goodnight, doctor!" The polite patient waved as the elder physician left. Ryou then sighed and laid his head back on the pillow. It had been an exhausting night- and frankly, he was looking forward to a good sleep.

Bakura slowly made his way to the bedside, his hands shoved awkwardly in his pockets.

"Ryou."

"Hmm?" The patient mumbled sleepily.

"If you... if you fall asleep... you'll wake up again, right?"

The fear in his voice was subtle, but touching. Despite his tiredness, Ryou smiled.

"I'll be here, Bakura. The doctors reassured me that I've regained almost all my faculties. Don't worry- I'm not going anywhere."

An hour later, Akefia was informed by the nurses that their 'extended' visiting hours were now over. He stepped into the room to tell his sibling that they had to leave. The dark-skinned man found his half-brother fast asleep, sitting in a plastic chair next to the slumbering inpatient's bed.

Chuckling to himself, Akefia managed to shake his sibling into a state of semi-awakeness before guiding him towards the door. Bakura refused to actually leave the room, however, until Akefia swore that they would return the next day.

The amused man had to fight down a chuckle. "I promise, I promise- but we need to go, alright? Ryou needs his sleep, and I think you could use a nap yourself."

"I don' need a na-na-naaap." The loud yawn that punctuated Bakura's protests proved that Akefia was right, and the two slowly made their way back to Kiyoshi for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

The next day, there was a sharp knock on the door of room 230 at Domino General Hospital.

"Ryou? Hey, you up for some visitors?" Ginjiro Bakura listened carefully for a reply from the mending teen. Akefia stood off to one side, still rather bemused by the whole thing. Meanwhile, the other sibling held onto the 'get-well' gift they'd brought.

The brothers had made a short stop on the way over to the hospital. Bakura was carefully holding a fresh bouquet of pastel-pink azaleas, soft blue delphinium, and white daisies.

A muffled voice called from the other side of the wooden barrier. "It's alright! You can come in!"

The door opened slightly, revealing the two white-haired callers.

One of the hospital technicians was currently fiddling with a group of cables attached to an older laptop. The portable computer was sitting on a small side table, facing Ryou. But something was off- the teen was clutching a tissue in one hand, and his eyes were overflowing with tears.

"Ryou, are you alright?!" Bakura dropped the flowers and turned towards the technician, clearly assuming he was behind the inpatient's grief. The nervous IT man just took a step back from the siblings.

Ryou shook his head, his white hair billowing gracefully. "I'm fine." Despite the tears flowing down his face, the reclined patient was smiling.

Akefia paused, unsure if they were intruding. "...er, we can come back later, if this is a bad time..."

"Nope- in fact, I'd say you have perfect timing." The still-recovering youth grinned from the make-shift desk. "We just got the video-chat set up a few minutes ago-" Ryou gestured to the laptop, "-and there's someone I'd like you to meet."

The technician, still trying to avoid Bakura's furious glare, turned the computer around. The screen had only one window open- a video-chat program. There was an older man- likely in his late 40's- on the other end. He had very fair skin, and hair that was almost sky-blue in color. His dark-brown eyes were currently wrinkled with a smile, despite also being tear-stained.

Ryou tilted his head towards the two visitors. "Father? There's someone here I'd like you to meet."

Bakura's shoulders relaxed as he caught on. Akefia felt his own face lift in understanding. 'Oh, those were _happy_ tears.'

"Ah, so you're the brave young men who saved my beloved Ryou." The aged Egyptologist chuckled. The uneasy IT man managed to sneak out of the room while Mr. Bakura continued talking. "I must admit, I'm very impressed by your numerous attempts to help my son."

"Erm, to be fair; it was mostly my half-brother who did everything..." Akefia rubbed the back of his neck in abashment. "Honestly, I didn't believe him at first- I thought it was some sort of prank." The dark-skinned man looked at the screen with one eyebrow raised. "No offense, but I'm surprised that you've believed everything so easily- this whole story doesn't... shock you?"

The academic man on the screen only chuckled. "Well, I'm afraid you don't reach my age, in my profession, without having at least some faith in the unknown. Mysterious things happen every day that science cannot explain." He waved one hand in a carefree motion. "We are but egotistical specks, pretending to hold all the answers of existence while barely knowing ourselves. Is it really so hard to believe there are forces in this universe that we have yet to comprehend?" Mr. Bakura shook his light-blue hair. "Regardless of the reason, I am very grateful to have my boy back. You have my eternal gratitude."

Both of the brothers were astonished when the man stood up from his chair and gave a full bow of respect.

"Uh..." Neither sibling knew what to say, but thankfully Ryou broke the silence.

"Father is coming home as soon as he can- he should be in China by tomorrow evening."

The re-seated scholar nodded. "The next flight to Asia is tomorrow morning, but it'll take a while to transfer over to mainland Japan." The older man frowned, his face finally showing some concern. "Which should mean another day or so- will you be alright until then?"

Ryou turned the screen back towards himself and gave a reassuring grin. "Don't worry, father; I'm in very good hands. In fact, that reminds me-" he turned the screen back around to face the brothers, "-I think there's something very important we all need to talk about."

Akefia had a feeling he knew what the pale relatives were referencing. "Right- living arrangements."

Ryou's father nodded blankly. "Yes... as I said, I am beyond grateful for the return of my boy. But the only reason I rented our house out was due to his being hospitalized. Unfortunately, this event (however marvelous) raises some serious problems- the house is still legally leased to you, Akefia, for the next two years."

Ryou nodded. "Of course, I've explained everything you've done for me, and that you've been model renters." He gestured toward the screen. "And father agrees that it wouldn't be fair to kick you two out after you've just gotten settled in."

Akefia grinned. "We appreciate the thoughtfulness, but really; I hardly think this sort of situation is something that can be expected. We can find another place to rent."

The shy inpatient suddenly tilted his head downwards, allowing his pale bangs to slide over part of his face. "Um... well, actually; I was wondering... would you and Bakura be open to another possible solution? I mean, now that my memories have returned, I remember how lonely I often was... all alone in that big house... and father still has a lot of overseas work to do before he can retire."

The man on the screen nodded. "I've looked over your police records, and discounting those minor incidents in your youth, I've decided that you and your brother would be perfect housemates for my Ryou."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'minor incidents'? I was never charged with- wait-" Bakura's eyes widened in realization, and he turned to stare incredulously at his half-sibling. "You mean, like an arrest record?!"

Akefia was currently looking sideways, clearly determined to avoid his half-brother's gaze.

"Oh my, _no_ ; nothing so terrible!" The older man chuckled, clearly not fazed by the elder brother's embarrassment. "No, just a few small blemishes on his file- non-felony shoplifting, mainly."

" _Shoplifting?!"_ For once, Bakura seemed completely dumbfounded. He just stared at his still-silent sibling. "You've gotta be kidding me... so _that's_ why..."

Ryou had to hold back a giggle as he watched Bakura berate his chagrined brother. 'Apparently the apples don't fall far from each _other_ , either...' After a few moments, the pale inpatient took pity on Akefia and cleared his throat.

"So... if you're looking for a reduction in rent, maybe I could rent my old room from you? Or perhaps my father's study, if that's easier- I know you had plans for most of the house."

Bakura gave his relative one last accusatory look before Akefia spoke up. "I wouldn't have a problem with you using your original bedroom- it is yours, after all." The tan-skinned man smiled. "In fact, that first arrangement sounds perfect."

Bakura suspected the reveal of his brother's 'record' had led to him making a quicker decision than was normal for the fastidious man. But it hardly bothered him- it seemed like Akefia was accepting Ryou's 'solution.'

And that sounded fantastic.

Eventually Akefia and Ryou's father had to discuss the more boring aspects of the proposal. Bakura took advantage of the distraction and picked up the (only slightly-disarranged) bouquet. He stepped closer to the bed before handing the blooms to the seated patient.

"Er, here. These are for you."

"Oh!" Ryou gasped- he hadn't seen the flowers before; the laptop had blocked his view. His emerald eyes lit up as looked over the beautiful pastel-colored petals. "Oh, how lovely! This room is so dull; these should really brighten things up! Not to mention I _love_ azaleas- thank you, Bakura!"

"Tch... it was nothing, reall- _!_ " The crimson-eyed teen paused in shock. He hadn't realized that he was so close to Ryou. At least, he certainly hadn't realized that he was close enough to be kissed.

It felt like his face was burning, and the confused visitor could only touch his cheek in dazed bewilderment. _'Did... did he just...?!'_

Meanwhile, Ryou; surprised by his own boldness, was now staring in the opposite direction. He kept his gaze trained on the room's only window. The patient was well aware that his own face was now richly flushed.

"Ryou-" Bakura tried to lean back towards the other teen, but was stopped by a sudden bellow.

"-And that settles it!" The two adolescents jumped as the voice from the computer rose in declaration. Akefia looked quite pleased- apparently he and Mr. Bakura had managed to hammer out a fair deal. "Ryou, I of course expect you to let me know the _instant_ you're discharged from the hospital- and then you'll be sharing our Kiyoshi home with these two young men. I trust you'll be gracious and responsible?"

Bakura was disappointed when the inpatient turned his attention back to the screen. "Of course, father."

"I suppose that throws out our plans for running a tattoo parlor from the back of the house?" Akefia wryly remarked, earning an appreciative chuckle from the Egyptologist.

"Ah, and a good sense of humor, too- splendid! Yes, well, I should get going- lots to arrange- but I shall see you all shortly! Ta-ta for now!"

Ryou grinned as he waved at the fading image. "G'night, father!" He closed the laptop lid, but before anyone could speak up, there was a swift knock on the door.

The hostile nurse from the other day stuck her head in the room and leered at the trio. "Visiting hours are now over until tomorrow at 9 AM- please be signed out in five minutes or security will escort you out."

Bakura scowled- he was sorely tempted to give the nasty old witch a piece of his mind. But that could lead to a ban from the hospital entirely- and he knew Ryou wouldn't be discharged for a few days. So the quietly-fuming teen kept his mouth shut.

Ryou was in high spirits, though, and he cheerfully waved off his visitors. "Oops- I lost track of time! In that case, have a great evening, Akefia, Bakura! Have a safe drive home!"

Despite the rude old woman, Ginjiro was smiling as he and Akefia left. He would never grow tired of that gentle, dulcet voice.

Several days passed. Bakura insisted on visiting room 230 every day, and Akefia had begrudgingly obliged. Eventually, Dr. Honma gave Ryou a thorough examination, followed by a clean bill of health. Although the doctors were baffled by the 'miracle', they could find no reason for further hospitalization. Ryou Bakura was then approved to be fully discharged, exactly seven days from his mystifying 'awakening'.

Both of the white-haired brothers showed up to help the recovered teen check out. Akefia had graciously offered to drive the boy home, which Ryou much appreciated. After signing several forms and gathering up Ryou's paltry possessions, the white-haired trio stepped off the elevator onto the main floor.

Walking across the open lobby, Ryou was engaged in conversation with both of the brothers about re-arranging their (now shared) house. The cheerful youth was happily explaining what he thought might be most favorable for everyone. "-And I'll have to buy a new bed, of course."

"Hm?" Bakura raised one eyebrow at the outpatient. "Why?"

Ryou blinked in surprise as they passed through the main doors. "Um, 'cuz you're using my old one; remember?"

The other teen smirked. "Oh, that's not a problem- I can share."

" _Bakura!"_

Akefia sighed. His brother was laughing gleefully while Ryou pretended to cover his red face in mortification. 'Why can't things ever be simple for us... ah, but at least he's smiling again... Step-Mother, Father- are you happy?"  
The laughter suddenly stopped, leading the older male to glance back at his brother. Akefia snickered- now _Bakura's_ face was rather heavily flushed. Apparently Ryou had taken advantage of his sibling's mirth and had shyly slipped his right hand into Bakura's left. The two were now walking hand-in-hand, with nervous but pleased smiles on their faces.

Akefia couldn't suppress a grin of his own. 'Because I'm pretty sure we are.'

~The End~

(A/N: This fic was heavily inspired by the 2005 movie "Just Like Heaven," featuring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo- if you enjoyed this story I very much recommend watching it! Thanks again for reading!)


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